This Week in Washington

WASHINGTON D.C. – Here’s what’s happening…

Gosar Proposes $10,000 Direct Stimulus Payments to Americans

Last Friday, as Democrats pushed through their COVID-19 bill in which a mere 9% of the funding addressed the pandemic, I introduced an amendment that would provide $10,000 stimulus checks to Americans hardest hit by the pandemic and lockdowns. The amendment called for the removal of 10 agenda items of the coronavirus relief legislation, including funding for the arts, federal and corporate transit projects, “vaccine confidence activities” and foreign aid.

My proposal was an attempt to show that by removing non COVID-related funding from this atrocious bill, Congress would be able to provide substantially more relief to those who need it most. People need help with car payments, mortgage and rent, and everyday necessities. The government broke it. Now government must fix it. The people, not corporations or billionaires, need this money to survive. A $10,000 stimulus check should be considered a down payment.

Not surprisingly, Democrats shot down my amendment and instead chose foreign aid, Big Tech and Pelosi’s political priorities over direct and substantial relief for American citizens. 

Democrats Push Radical Legislation

Gosar Stands in Opposition to Radical Election and Police “Reform” Bills: 

H.R. 1, the For the People Act, should more accurately be titled the For the Politicians Act. 

Speaker Pelosi and her liberal colleagues introduced this legislation for the sole purpose of removing accountability from future elections by radically altering our election methods. H.R. 1 is riddled with provisions to erode voter registration requirements, accept voter applications from minors, and implement online voting that would increase the potential for hackers and cybercriminals to commit voter fraud.  This legislation has nothing to withprotecting elections, rather, it is about making it easier to fraudulently elect Democrats. But don’t take my word for it: Pelosi made it clear this was not about true reform when House Democrats rejected my amendment to close loopholespreventing foreign entities from influencing our elections. This bill is bad for America and I voted no. 

Also this week, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was considered.  Pushed by Black Lives Matter and other “defund the police” advocates, the bill was touted by House Democrats as a police “reform” bill to address instances of violence arising between law enforcement and minority populations.  I oppose this bill for many reasons, most notably because I categorically reject the notion that law enforcement is inherently racist. Among the many bad provisions, the legislation would lower the legal burden to charge police officers of committing a crime. The bill also prevents police departments from having access to small arms and unused ammunition from the military which are often needed to protect our communities from large scale riots or other criminal activities.  We saw the effects last summer when Democrat elected officials across the country took no action to stop the looting and widespread riots in our cities. Sadly, this bill makes no serious reforms to law enforcement which is why I could not support it.  

More Democratic Road Blocks for American Jobs

Gosar Reacts to Feds Decision to Halt Resolution Copper Project:

Earlier this week, the United States Department of Agriculture announced it was directing the United States Forest Service to withdraw the Notice of Availability and rescind the Final Environmental Impact Study and the draft Record of Decision for the proposed Resolution Copper on the Tonto National Forest. The Biden Administration’s decision to halt Arizona’s bipartisan supported Resolution Copper project previously cleared by President Trump is completely unacceptable. This project would have created nearly 4,000 well-paying jobs and added more than $60 billion in economic value in Arizona.

The project underwent lengthy and comprehensive environmental studies spanning the two previous administrations, including President Obama. Yet, Mr. Biden once again ignores sound science, wipes out thousands of more jobs and discounts the significance this copper mine is to clean energy, our electrical grid, solar panels, wind turbines and hundreds of other needs.   

While we strongly support the rights of tribe’s voices to be heard, there is nothing sacred about this property. This is mining land first and foremost. The tribal historian confirmed that in 2011. Additionally, the Forest Service conducted hundreds of consultations with Native American tribes and the town of Superior about how best to proceed. The fact remains that Resolution Copper and the Forest Service worked hand-and-glove by consulting with the tribes throughout the approval process. The project would give the Town of Superior a much-needed economic boost. Opposition groups that seek to halt the Resolution Copper project are neither reasonable nor practical. Mining can be done responsibly. Further delay will only create additional economic hardship.  

House Oversight Committee Hearing

High Risk Areas in the U.S. Government:

Every two years, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) releases a report detailing the highest risk areas in the government for waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. This week the House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing to examine that GAO report. This was one of the most important hearings we have this year. I attended the hearing and discussed the Optional Practical Training (OPT), which incentivizes American businesses to hire foreign labor over Americans through tax breaks.  OPT is ripe with abuse and must be added to the report. At the hearing, I also directed my attention to the abysmal state of the Pentagon’s finances and its continued failure to complete an audit. By working with the GAO, I was able to highlight how modernizing the Pentagon’s systems and pushing for financial accountability has found millions in savings, and I look forward to using this hearing to ensure greater accountability of government spending. 

You can watch my line of questioning HERE.

Other Highlights From This Week

By undoing President Trump’s deterrence-focused policies, Joe Biden’s open border policies have created an unnecessary crisis by urging illegal migrant caravans to enter our country. Now, reports indicate that thousandsof unaccompanied minors are being held in container facilities, which is why I joined a letter requesting a hearing on Biden’s bad border policies.

I joined Senator Sinema in introducing the La Paz County Land Solar Development and Job Creation Act which would transfer 4,800 acres of land back to L Paz County. Building off a land conveyance that passed Congress in 2019, this critical legislation will continue the goal of creating and expanding the job and energy hub in La Paz County.

Gosar in the News and Other Stories We Think You’ll Want to Know

The Blaze, GOP rep exposes wasteful spending in Democrats’ stimulus bill by proposing $10,000 stimulus checks  “Democrats chose foreign aid, Big Tech transit, and Pelosi’s political priorities over direct relief to American citizens.”

Washington Times, White House Says Migrants are Tested for COVID-19; Those on Border Say Some Aren’t

Iowa State Daily, Letter: GOP Made the Right Decision with Choosing Trump

AZ Central, Resolution Copper Mine Would Give Our Town an Economic Boost. Don’t We Count? 

Wall Street Journal, Making Every Election Like 2020

“H.R.1 mandates ballot harvesting and limits voter verification.”

Resources

IALERT: Tax Season is upon us once again. If you did not receive a stimulus payment in January 2021 and you should have, or did not receive the correct amount, you may be eligible to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return. Click HERE for more information.

D-Day commemorations in Normandy

Nowhere in the world are veterans honored as sincerely as in France

President Ronald Reagan at the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument in 1984

The world was ready for peacetime as World War II ended in 1945. Consumed by war for so long that many could not remember peacetime, thoughts were focused on how to improve on the treaties that caused so much consternation at the end of the Great War, how to dole out justice for war crimes, and how to rebuild so many devastated nations. The victors certainly celebrated the end of the war, but few were concerned with how to remember it.WebsiteFacebookInstagram

By his own account, Michel de Vallavieille, mayor of the small French town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont from 1949 to 1991, fought off calls to develop commercially the Normandy coast. He instead preserved the area known as Utah Beach for posterity, christening the Utah Beach Landing Museum in 1962. Shot by confused American paratroopers while exiting his home, which had been commandeered by the Germans, de Vallavieille never held a grudge against the Allied liberators. He instead built a museum in their honor out of the German bunker known as WN5 (Widerstandsnest in German, “resistance nest” in English), which remains its foundation.Click here to get a quote or book one of our tours without paymentUtah Beach

The land above Omaha Beach became the region’s primary cemetery for fallen Americans. The next of kin were given a choice of leaving a soldier’s remains in Europe or having them sent home. Soon after the war, temporary cemeteries were consolidated into larger ones around the world, maintained by the U.S. Government through the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The Normandy American Cemetery contains 9,385 remains resting just a short distance from the temporary cemetery established on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery in Europe in WWII.Normandy American CemeteryWebsiteFacebookInstagram

As the world moved on from the war, and the Cold War dampened relations between former Allies, the D-Day landings and other historic operations largely sank from public consciousness. Memories in Western Europe were kept alive by the liberated, and the French appreciation for the D-Day landings made Normandy a gathering point for enthusiasts. Soon, politicians and ambassadors were honoring the veterans, and in 1984, Ronald Reagan became the first U.S. president to attend a D-Day commemoration in Normandy when he spoke at the 40th Anniversary of the landings. Bill Clinton attended the 50th, George W. Bush the 60th, Barack Obama the 65th and 70th, and Donald Trump the 75th as sitting presidents.  Click here to get a quote or book one of our tours without payment

Veterans of D-Day returned home after the war to start families, continue their education, and move into brand new GI housing, often remaining tight-lipped about their experiences in northwestern Europe. As the commemorations grew in the 1980s and 1990s, veterans returned in larger numbers and realized what is still true today: nowhere in the world are veterans honored as sincerely as in Normandy during the D-Day commemorations. They are at the center of the commemorations, are asked to raise flags and are thanked and photographed non-stop.

Scuderia Ferrari Reveal 2021 – Ferrari.com

Official Ferrari SF21 website: discover the new F1 single-seater and the Scuderia Ferrari team for the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
— Read on www.ferrari.com/en-US/formula1/sf21-reveal

My Bible Study

www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/1399

Connect Brazil

Music, travel, friends & fun! Streaming music, tips and trends plus listings and events in our Lifestyle Directory. Add a little more ‘Brazil’ to your life!
— Read on connectbrazil.com/

USCIS Announces Flexibilities for Certain Foreign Student Applicants Affected…

March 4, 2021

USCIS Announces Flexibilities for Certain Foreign Student Applicants Affected by Delayed Receipt Notices for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization

Dear Stakeholder,

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) is sending this message to inform you that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced certain flexibilities for foreign students (F-1 nonimmigrants) affected by delayed receipt notices for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization for Optional Practical Training (OPT).

14-month Post-Completion OPT Flexibilities 

After completion of the academic program, the F-1 student may be granted up to 12 months of OPT. This OPT must be completed within 14 months of the end of the academic program. Delays at USCIS lockbox facilities may have prevented some applicants from accessing their entire OPT allowance within that 14-month period. Therefore, USCIS announced it will allow the 14-month period to commence from the date of approval of the Form I-765 as opposed to completion of the academic program. Within that 14 month window, USCIS will approve Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for OPT for the length of time originally recommended by the Designated School Official (DSO) on the Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status. F-1 students requesting OPT who receive approval for less than the full amount of OPT time requested (not to exceed 12 months) may request a correction of the EAD due to USCIS error. USCIS said it will then issue a corrected EAD with a new end date to cover the full amount of OPT time recommended by the DSO on Form I-20.

Refiling Following Rejection

Due to delays at the USCIS lockbox facilities, some applicants who filed Form I-765 for OPT in a timely manner, but had their applications rejected, were unable to refile within the required application timeframes. USCIS announced it will accept a refiled Form I-765 for post-completion OPT, or a re-filed I-765 for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) OPT, if the original application was timely filed between October 1, 2020 and May 1, 2021. Refiled applications must be received by May 31, 2021 for USCIS to treat the application as if it was filed on the original received date. Applicants refiling Form I-765 should include a copy of the USCIS rejection notice. Applicants do not need to obtain a new Form I-20 with an updated OPT recommendation from the DSO, as long as they originally submitted an application for post-completion OPT within 30 days of the DSO’s recommendation, or an application for STEM OPT within 60 days of the DSO’s recommendation, as required by the regulations.

Missing or Deficient Signatures

The lockbox will generally reject a Form I-765 for OPT or STEM OPT with a missing or deficient signature. If, however, the lockbox has accepted an application containing a deficient or missing signature, USCIS indicated it will issue a Request for Evidence rather than deny the application. This will provide the applicant the opportunity to respond and supply the necessary signature or correct the signature deficiency. USCIS encourages applicants filing Form I-765 to review the form instructions on its website to ensure completeness before filing.

Background

The CIS Ombudsman provided informal recommendations to USCIS regarding lockbox delays in issuing receipt notices for Forms I-765 and communicated the significant adverse impact on nonimmigrant students. USCIS indicated these delays were caused by various factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic; a rise in cases for certain benefit requests at some lockbox facilities; an increase in mail volume; and delays at the U.S. Postal Service. USCIS requested that applicants wait at least eight weeks before contacting the agency to inquire about missing receipt notices. The CIS Ombudsman recognizes that USCIS has made progress in addressing these issues and is pleased that the agency has also implemented the above-mentioned flexibilities.

More Information

Please refer to the USCIS website for additional information related to Optional Practical Training for F-1 Students and instructions to file Form I-765.

The CIS Ombudsman is committed to meeting with stakeholders and USCIS to address further concerns regarding the impact of delayed receipt notices.

Additional updates on this topic will be shared by the CIS Ombudsman as appropriate. For more information on our office, please visit our website.